A Case Study Examining the Merit of Using Internet Message Boards During Practicum Experiences.

Moffett, David

This study followed up earlier research on the merits of using online message boards in education students' field experiences. It assessed data from the second year of student teachers' online activities. Message boards were made available to students across the college's education programs via an online private Web community. The first year of data revealed considerable potential merit of such online activities. The current qualitative/quantitative case study used a pretest/posttest component to further examine the merit of practicum students using message boards during field experiences. During the practicum, students were required to post weekly messages to the message board. Their postings highlighted their practicum experiences. In the pre-test, students ranked their expertise in using online message boards and their perception of the merit and worth of this effort. They then wrote about what they expected to learn from posting weekly online reflections and from reading other participants' weekly online reflections. A posttest was conducted at the end of the semester. Results revealed gains in students' self-reported expertise in using the message boards. There was a qualitative/quantitative discrepancy regarding the merits of using online message boards for communication. (SM)